Its creation seemed like the results of a fever dream. Its cancellation seemed assured. And yet, Galavanthas defied the odds, not to mention ABC’s apparent policy of canceling greatness (WE STILL MISS YOU HAPPY ENDINGS!). The deeply quirky fantasy-musical got a season two, which premiered its first two eps last night.

So how’d it go down? Let’s break it down with a GIF review, shall we?

“A New Season, A.K.A. Suck it, Cancellation Bear” opens with this rousing recap that revealed Galavant’s writers are as pleasantly surprised about the show’s return as we are!

Sid and Gareth are confused about their place in Madalena-occupied Valencia. Meanwhile, Isabella is battling it out with her incest supporting parents. But admittedly, I got distracted from their bickering by WTF IS THAT THING!

Being locked up in a glorified Barbie Dollhouse is bad enough. But when your kiddie cousin fiance is filling it with creepy dolls in your own likeness:

We’d like to formally extend a thank you to her Majesty Minogue for cutting to the quick with getting Galavant’s leading man Joshua Sasse shirtless.

Show of hands, who wouldn’t mind being a captive in queen of queens Kylie Minogue’s Enchanted Forest?

“Reading’s for morons who can’t understand pictures!”

Peasant love is back and beautiful:
“I’m kind of big into women’s rights.”
“He really is! He says he’s going to let me keep our first daughter, and not just throw them all out.”…
“ONE daughter. Then we leave the rest to the White Walkers.”
“Men.”

“Uncle Keith! Dad said you went to the Enchanted Forest and never came out.”
“The other way around, kid.”

Is anyone else perplexed by the Madalena/Gareth plot? It doesn’t ring true to the characters for me. Like why—after successfully dumping two kings to claim the crown for her own—would she so easily share the monarchy with a lowly brute? And when did Gareth start getting ambitious? Season one, he was all about no drama, and now he’s tied himself to a Queen who feasts on drama as voraciously as she does her vegan meals. (Of course Madalena is a smug vegan.) It feels like the writers have painted themselves into a corner they don’t really want to deal with.

Can we agree the true hero of Galavant is Timothy Omundson’s hair?

Silver fox alert.

Episode two, “World’s Best Kiss” picks up with Gal and King Richard trekking mercilessly, and this gem: “Can you get cancer from walking? Because I really feel like my feet are getting cancer.”

Also, suck it Continuity Bear because Galavant has introduced a new McGuffin that Isabella has always worn. Yeah. You just never noticed this hulking red gem amulet before. (“I think it’s new!” “You’re both wrong, but it doesn’t matter.”) Whatever. I admire the show’s brazen “we do what we want”-ness.

After jerking us around with the will-they-won’t-they-ness of Isabella and Galavant’s brewing romance, we were rewarded with one measly kiss between the pair last season. And despite the title of the ep, both liplockers are admitting it was “a miss.” So, let’s forget about incest, an evil queen and various other dramas and get insecure in ballads and bits!

“He called us friends!” Long live King Richard.

Gareth and Madalena: the throwingest stuff family…of the Middle Ages.

I have a weird appreciation for Vinnie Jones starring in a musical series when he clearly has no ability to sing or dance. He more grunt-sings and occasionally shimmies his shoulders, in only the most manly of fashions.

The phone/amulet bit got tedious quick, didn’t it?

“Back off or I swear I will make you a none-i-corn!” It seems the writers got the note that King Richard is far and away the fan favorite of the series. While I’m grateful for more screentime (even if its a bland virginity gag), I miss the blithely wicked Richard! We can like villains. They need not be transformed into heroes to be fun! I do wonder if Sasse saw these scripts and realized his show’s been written away from him. Galavant is at risk of becoming a sidekick.

Dat hair tho.

All in all, Galavant’s return isn’t all I hoped for. The song numbers were fun, but nothing yet has been as catchy or wildly silly as last season’s greatest hits. Some of the gay gags (“Maybe you do belong here”) and the “can you hear me now” bit feel as old as Jean Ham’s yo mama rejoinders, yet they lack that running gag’s self-awareness. But three cheers for Omundson’s charming idiot-king. Hip hip hooray for objectifying Sasse’s marvelous torso! And a huzzah for that final missing castle reveal.

We’ll be back next week. Hoping Galavant is not just back, but better.

Kristy Puchko sometimes envies men’s ability to switch up their looks with a beard.